Ephemerals

There is something about the ephemerals.  Is it because they are some of the first blooms of spring or because many of the blossoms are petite? Is it because many of them don’t hang around for long that makes them so special or because they have funny names?  For some, the bloom is fleeting but the leaves will linger, for others the whole plant just dies off and waits until next spring for a reappearance.  Whatever the reason, they are some of my favorites.

This lovely lady is not ephemeral, but I wish she would be.  Esther, the guard labrador, was growling fiercely one afternoon.  I admonished her for getting excited about what was probably a squirrel. When I went to see what the ruckus was about, there was this doe munching at the edge of the garden.    Grrrrrrr …..

 

Lungwort – Pulmonaria.  These are  just beginning  Here are the pink ones, the blue ones haven’t popped yet.

 

 

Liverwort – Hepatica.  The blossoms rise up on little hairy stems before the leaves come out.

 

Bloodroot – Sanguinaria.  There are doubles and singles in this grouping.. not fully out yet, but I like this stage as well.

 

Dutchman’s Breeches – Dicentra